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M. E. MYERS AND M A. J. HARPER. v

CINEMATOGRAPH MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, I917. RENEWED APR. 4. I919- Patnfed June 24, 1919.

5] vweutocs mum M M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORTON EABLE MYERS AN D MARTIN A. T. HARPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

cmauaroemn uacmlm Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24, 1919.

i Application filed larch 29, 1917, Serial No. 158,178. Renewed April 4, 1919. Serial No. 287,616.

To all whom it may concern:

i Be it known that we, Mon'roN Earns MYERS, a citizen of the United States, and

.MARTIN A. J HARPER a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, both residing at the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cinematograph- Machines, of which the following is a speci-v fication, reference being had'therei-n to the i lighting '5 accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. a

Our invention relates to cinematograph machines, and more particularly to the shutter mechanism-thereof.

Heretofore in machines of this character various shutter vmechanisms have been employed, the pur ose of which has been to eliminate or re uce what is known as a flicker 7 in the reproduction. In the older types of machinesand in most of the machines now used, the shutter includes a" plurality of rotating opaque blades intercepting the lightrays emanating from the projector, one of these blades being 0 erative during the interval when the li m 1s receiving movement, and the other blades being used' to balance the light effects, so as to make the effect upon the projected image less conspicuous. .While this type of shutter successful, it 1s open to the objection hat the alternate and shading of the screen, owing results in an optical to persistance of vision,

- To obviate illusion known as a flicker this difiiculty, it has been attempted to use a shutter which by reason of its semiopacity, or by the lens-like efiect thereof will merely dim the light upon the screen, or

will difl'use the light in a manner to prevent the casting of deep shadows upon the screen, between the projection.- or images thereon.

- These expedients have not proven successfulin use, because if a sutlicient volume of light reaches thescreen, themovement of the film will be apparent to the eye, this movement resulting in vertical streaks, or

elongations of both the light and dark tone of the picture, which elon ations are known to the art as ghosts. en the light is diffused or refracted, by means of lens-like formations, there is alight eifect in the auditorium, which detracts from the quality of the projected image;

By experiment and use, we have determined that a small perforation in any part ghosts, may be entirely eliminated. By

makin the cover blade and the flicker blade or bla es of substantially white, translucent material, a suitable effect may be secured without castln a dark shadow upon the screen during t e interval when the film hasmovement, and by providing transparent portions about each of the various small openings through the shutter blades sufli clentlight will pass to the screen to avoid grayness of the reproduction, or secure sharp contrasts between the dark and light tones o f the reproduction. a

Our invention consists rimarily in a.

cinematograph machine em odying therein a shutter composed of a cover blade and a flicker blade each formed of translucent material having a sequence of small openings therethrou h; and in such other novel features .0 construction and-combination of parts, as are hereinafter set forth and'described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended. Referring to the drawings,

therein a matograph machine embodyinlgl our mven- Flgure 1 1s a perspective view of a cine- Likevletters refer to like parts in both views. a

In the accompanying drawings, we have shown an ordinary cinematograph machine" embodying therein a lamp strut zture',shown ,7 at d, a lens box 6 in which the feedirifi mechanism for the film is inclosed and cases c--'-d. This mechanism is olcland well known in the art, and no, particular constructionthereof is essential to our invention.

Carried b a rotating shaft e is a shutter consisting 'o asuitable frame f and a hub 9 connected by a plurality of s kes h. .In the form of the invention 5 own, six of such spokes are used, there being secured .between each alternate pair of spokes, a thin mreel."

each'of the openings will pass througheach area 2" sheet of white, translucent. material, such as celluloid, forming a cover blade'z' and two flicker blades j/c open spaces being present between said blades. While in the accompanying drawings, we have shown two flicker blades, it is not our intention to limit ourselves to the use of this nunrber, since with different projectors and under difi'erent conditions of use, it is feasible to use only one flicker blade.

Each of the blades 2'j-lc is like the others, except. as to the area thereof, the cover blade, when three blades are used, being of greater area than either of the flicker blades.

The blade 2' is provided with a sequence of small openings i arranged substantially con-' centric with the axis of rotation of the shutter, these openings being substantially onesixteenth of an inch in diameter. Similar openings 7 -h are provided in the blades j-Jr. z" 7"/a, we provide a small area i k which is substantially transparent, so as to secure a better illumination of the screen.

during those intervals when an image shows through the openings z"j or k successively.

The spokes h are preferably made of Sheet metal folded upon itself, so as to form a clamp adapted to engage the edge of the cover and flicker blades, these spokes being sufliciently narrow to avoid likelihood of their casting ashadow while the machine is in operation. In fact, if desired. these spokes might be dispensed with and other suitable means for imparting rigidity to the different blades substituted therefor.

The operation of a cinematograph machine embodying our invention is substantially as follows. When a machine is in operation, the shutter receives one full rotation with the exposure of each individual photogrsgph at the,

sight opening of the pro ector. pon the initiation of the feeding movement of the film, the forward edge of the blade i will pass before the lens opening, portion of the light rays but having the effect of merely dimming the light effect upon the screen. The translucency of this plate, while preventing a dense shadow effect upon the screen, will nevertheless prevent the projection of the image therethrough in a manner to permit it to appear upon the screen in a sufficiently Well defined form to be perceptible to the eye. As lens opening, a" complete image Wlll be rojected upon the screen, and sufficient llght to secure a fairly bright light upon the screen and prevent continuity of the darker tone resultin from the effect from the other portions 0 the blade. The translucent-portion of the About each of the openings intercepting a z however, asses the blade z' between the asreas z' will make the perceptible to the eye; elongation of these im rapidity or in other words, ages by reason of the of the movement of the film, or ghosts, will be completely eliminated. The rapid flashing and dimming of the images, resulting from the projection of light rays through the moving cover blade, will be so rapid that a picture effect will not be impressed upon the eye, or if the eye does perceive this image, it will be as a stationary image and not as a moving imagel If the openings 2" are not small, this effect will not be secured, because the exposure of the picture through these openings, will be of sufiicient duration to not only give a clear, well defined image, but also to give an impression of movement in the image upon the screen.

The blade 2' will pass from before the lens opening substantially simultaneously. with the cessation of the feeding movement of the rest, the maximum h the opening between the cover b ade and t 1e first flicker blade and in succession thereafter the flicker blade j will pass be; fore the lens opening followed byan open space, the flicker blade is and the open space between same and the cover blade. In'this manner while the light rays will be alternately dimmed and undimmed, the rapidity of movement. of the shutter being such as to secure the effect of a uniform volume of light-at all times including that period when the cover blade is operative. As each of the flicker blades passes thelensopening, the o enings j-k' and the transparent areas k thereof, will permit the repeated, rapid projection of the image through these blades so as to secure the effect of continuity of exposure of the image upon the screen without, however, permitting such a continuous exposure, in fact, with its resultant shar contrast between the light effects upon t e screen during that interval when the cover blade is operative, and when the cover blade is not operative.

The effect secured by a shutter made in accordance with our invention, is not only a more uniform. illumination with a resultant increase in the definition of the image, but it is pomible to secure much more artistic reproduction of the image with a light of lower candle power, than is repicture is stationary the of the screen' film. Immediately upon the film coming to ume of light to pass, we secure a substantially uniform lighting effect upon the screen, thusai'oidin the sharp contrast between a completely arkened, and a brightly illuminated screen.

We have found in actual practice that to secure the desired quality of the projected image, it is essentialto use both a .cover blade and a flickerblade of substantially the same construction and that the use of acover blade alone, even if constructed as described will not eliminate the flicker, or se cure the quality of definition desired, in the reproduction.

It is not our intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such maybe varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventio v i Having described the invention what we claim as new and desire to have protected by I Letters Patent is:--

' ings.

openings 'therethrough, and substantially transparent areas about each of said open- 3. A cinematograp'h machine embodying therein a shutter composed of a frame, a hub by means of which said shutter may be rotated, a cover blade and a flicker blade supported respectively between said hub and said frame, open spaces being provided within said frame between said blades, each of said blades being formed of translucent material, said material having a substantially transparent area and an opening therethrough within said transparent area 4. A cinematograph machineembodying therein a shutter composed of a frame, a hub by means ofwhich said shutter may be rotated, a cover blade and a flicker blade supported respectively between said hub and said frame, openspaces being provided within said frame, between said blades, each of said blades being formed of translucent materialhaving a sequence of small openings therethrough, and a transparent area about each of said openings.

5. A cinematograph machine embodying therein a shutter composed of a cover blade and a flicker blade, each formed of translucent material having' a sequence of small openings therethrough, and substantially transparent areas about each of said open- I ings, said transparent areas being separated by translucent areas. I

- 6. A cin'ematograph machine embodying therein a shutter composed of a cover blade 7 and a flicker blade, each formed of translucent material having a line of closely, juxtaposed, small openin therethrough substantially concentric wi h the axis of rotation of said shutter.

In witness whereof, we. have hereunto aifixedour signatures, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 28th day of March,

MORTON EARLEMYERS. MARTIN A. J. HARPER.

Witnesses:-

CLARICE FRANCK, BERTHA MUELLER. 

